Be Still My Vampire (7 page)

“Damn.” She glanced at the phone, then at Boris. “Don’t go away.” Chuckling, she strolled back to the desk to answer the phone. “Hello?”

“Is this Katya Miniskaya, co-master of the Russian-American coven?” The masculine voice had sneered over the wordco-master .

She tamped down on her anger. A male vampire would never get this kind of disrespect. Only one man had ever recognized her talent and potential. He’d praised her for what others failed to see. She’d set out to seduce him for the sheer challenge, but she’d fallen into her own trap. She’d fallen for him. And the bastard had abandoned her.

She should have killed him.

She shoved the memory aside. She was a coven master now. She didn’t need any man, and she wasn’t going to let this arrogant creep on the phone jerk her around. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“I am an associate of Casimir.” The voice paused.

Katya waited, but he remained silent. Maybe he thought the mere mention of Casimir would scare her to the point she’d be unable to carry on a conversation. She snorted. “So?”

“He is unhappy with you.”

“Big deal. I’m not real happy with him, either.” Casimir had let everyone think he had died in the Great Vampire War of 1710. He’d left everyone feeling defeated and leaderless.

A form wavered beside the empty chair, then solidified. He was a chunky man with a neck thicker than his head, wispy brown hair, and cold blue eyes that regarded her with bored condescension. His gray suit and leather briefcase looked strictly business, but Katya knew danger when she saw it.

She eased around the back of her desk, making a show of hanging up her phone and sitting down. Her new position put her close to her blowpipe and supply of nightshade darts.

His lips curled into a sneer. “Thank you for seeing me.” He snapped his cell phone shut and dropped it into his coat pocket.

Crap. He’d used her voice as a beacon. “Who are you, and what do you want?”

“I am Jedrek Janow, a close friend of Casimir.”

She carefully kept her face blank. She’d heard his name mentioned in whispers over the years. He was Casimir’s favorite hit man. “How do you do?” She motioned for him to take a seat.

He didn’t. The bastard preferred staring down at her. He gently deposited his leather briefcase in the chair.

She lifted her chin. “How come you’re awake? Has the sun not risen where you and Casimir are hiding?”

His eyes narrowed. “Casimir’s location is none of your concern. As for me, I teleported fromParis . I cannot stay long.”

“What a shame.”

“Your arrogance is not becoming.” He stepped toward the desk. “Make no mistake. Casimir has allowed you to remain in power. He could remove you at any moment.”

Katya tried hard to show no reaction, but she could feel the blood draining from her face. When Casimir removed someone, it was permanent. Was that why Jedrek had come? Did he mean to kill her tonight? “There is no reason to be displeased with me. This coven was poor until I took over. Now we’re rich.”

“There has never been a female coven master before.”

She stood. “You think I’m not tough enough for this job?” She motioned to the floor behind Jedrek. “Say hello to Boris.”

Jedrek glanced at Boris without comment, then returned his gaze to her. “You dress like a slut.”

“These are my hunting clothes. I’m guaranteed several quarts within five minutes. I like to call it fast food.”

“You took over by murdering Ivan Petrovsky.”

She shrugged. “An ancient and time-honored method for career advancement.”

“Petrovsky was the one who saved Casimir’s life at the end of the Great War.”

She was screwed. “I didn’t know that. Everyone thought Casimir was dead.”

“According to my sources, Ivan admitted Casimir was alive before you killed him.”

She swallowed hard. One of her coven members was snitching on her. “Galina and I are doing an excellent job as co-masters. Perhaps you would like to meet her?”

“She is a whore.”

“But such a good one. The men are very happy.”

Jedrek slammed a beefy fist on the desk. “You fool. Casimir doesn’t wanthappy followers. Why do you think the enemy calls us the Malcontents?”

Katya planted her hands on the desk and leaned toward him. “My coven follows all the traditions of the True Ones. We feed off mortals. We manipulate them for money. We detest the weak vampires who drink from bottles like babies. And when Casimir is ready to slaughter them, we will be there.”

Jedrek snorted. “How can you fight for Casimir when you cannot defend your own coven? How many of your members have been slain in the last year?”

Crap. The little snitch was doing a thorough job. “There were three murders last summer. And one last week. But I have taken care of it.”

“How? Did you capture the slayer?” Jedrek glanced back at Boris. “Is this the slayer?”

She was tempted to say yes. “He is… involved in the matter. As I said, I have the situation under control.”

“Casimir wants proof of your commitment.”

“Proof? That’s easy enough. Say good-bye to Boris.” Katya grabbed the wooden letter opener off her desk, marched over to Boris, and stabbed him through the heart. He turned to a pile of dust on her carpet. “Shall I pack you a to-go box for Casimir?”

Jedrek’s arched brow indicated he was not impressed. “Casimir wants the slayer. He has special plans for him.” The hit man turned to the chair where he’d deposited his briefcase and removed a small electronic device. He wandered about the room, watching a small screen on the device.

Katya dropped her letter opener on the desk. “What are you doing?”

“Casimir doesn’t believe you can properly defend your lair. He heard Draganesti teleported into your home last spring and rescued someone you were holding prisoner.”

“Ivan was in charge then. We’ve had no invasions since then, and I’ve increased the number of our daytime guards.”

Jedrek continued to move about the room, looking at his device. “Did you know Angus MacKay was here inNew York ?”

Katya swallowed hard.

Jedrek sneered. “I’ll take that as ano .”

“I’m sure he comes often. Draganesti is one of his clients.” Not that Angus would ever bother to see her.

“Interesting that he’s here at this time, don’t you think?”

Did Casimir suspect Angus was involved in the slayings? Well, he had killed more True Ones in the Great War than anyone else, and his company had a nasty way of investigating matters and dispensing their own brand of justice. The last time she’d seen him was last spring at the Gala Opening Ball. He’d acted like he didn’t even know her. He’d only looked at her once when he’d slapped her with sarcasm.And what is yer idea of fun? Were ye planning to kill someone tonight?

Damn him. She should have killed him a long time ago.

“Aha!” Jedrek ran his fingers along the back of a curtain rod, then plucked off a small metallic object. “Still think you’re qualified to lead this coven?” He dropped the listening device on her desk and smashed it with a paperweight.

She winced. How long had her office been bugged? Who was doing it? Draganesti? Or Angus MacKay?

Jedrek unscrewed the receiver to her phone and located another listening device. He glanced at her with a sneer. “Pathetic.” He crushed the bug with the paperweight.

She gritted her teeth. Jedrek was going to enjoy telling Casimir about this. “Ican protect this coven. And I will capture the slayer.”

“Good.” Jedrek dropped his bug detector into his briefcase and snapped it shut. “I’ll expect delivery in a week.”

Katya blinked. “Next Sunday?”

“Saturday.” Jedrek shrugged. “Like I said, Casimir is unhappy with you. He’s just looking for a reason to remove you.”

To kill her. Katya clenched her fists. “I suppose he has a replacement picked out?”

“Yes.” Jedrek straightened his tie, smiling. “Me.”

“That is ridiculous. You’re not even Russian. My members won’t take orders from a Pole.”

“Half Polish, half Russian.” Jedrek shrugged. “Casimir doesn’t give a damn about our heritage. What he wants, or demands, is loyalty.”

“Iam loyal.”

“Prove it.” Jedrek checked his watch. “Time for me to go.”

“I will prove it.” Katya marched toward him. “I’ll do more than capture the slayer. I’ll give you Angus MacKay.”

Jedrek’s brows shot up.

Katya smiled. At last she’d gotten a reaction.

Jedrek snorted. “You think you can capture the general of the Vamp army?”

“Wouldn’t Casimir love to have him?” And wouldn’t she love to watch him suffer. “I’ll deliver him and the slayer by next Saturday. And you can stop lusting after my job.”

Jedrek sneered. “We’ll see about that. You’ll never pull this off.” He vanished.

Katya took a deep breath. Now she had to capture Angus MacKay. That would be extremely difficult. Was he involved with the slayings? It was very coincidental that he was inNew York at the same time, but whether or not he was involved, it no longer mattered. She’d promised both Angus and the slayer, and her life was going to be very short if she didn’t deliver them both by Saturday.

Crap! She needed a plan. Katya paced about the office. It would take a whole team of men to capture Angus. And once she had him and the slayer captured, she would have to hold them prisoner without them escaping.

She needed silver. Tons of silver. Thank God the coven was now rich. Months ago, she and Alek had teleported into a few shops in the Diamond District, helped themselves to some loose gems, then teleported to an associate inCalifornia who had paid them 1.2 million dollars. They were back, all cozy inBrooklyn , before the police even knew the gems were missing.

She would make a room of silver. That would keep the slayer and Angus unable to teleport to freedom. And she would need lots of nightshade. Her supply was running low.

She paused when another problem occurred to her. How could she turn Angus and the slayer over to Jedrek on Saturday? He wanted her to fail, so he could take over her coven. She couldn’t trust him at all. No, she would have to deliver the prisoners herself. Not easy, when she wasn’t quite sure where Casimir was. Somewhere in Eastern Europe orRussia , she would bet.

Galina would help. Her neck was on the line, too. Didn’t she own some place in theUkraine ?

Katya called Galina and Alek on the phone and demanded they come immediately to the office. Then she grabbed a pen and started making plans. Who could the slayer be? Only a vampire could possibly kill another vampire, and she strongly suspected the slayer was one of Draganesti’s coven members. Or perhaps one of Angus MacKay’s employees. Or even Angus MacKay himself.

Damn him. He would finally get what he deserved.

She looked up when Alek strode into the office. “We have one week to capture the slayer and Angus MacKay, then deliver them to Casimir.”

Alek’s mouth dropped open. “One week? When did this happen?”

“I just had a visitor. A Polish man named Jedrek Janow.”

“I’ve heard of him. He’s an assassin for Casimir.”

Katya sighed. “He’ll be… removing Galina and me if we don’t make the delivery.”

“Jesus,” Alek whispered.

“I want you to find the slayer. Have our members work in teams of three. One can act like bait to draw the slayer in, while the others stay hidden and ready to attack.”

“I’ll get right on it.” Alek started toward the door, then hesitated. “I—I never said anything, but… ”

“What?” Katya glared at him. “We don’t have much time.”

Alek winced. “I sawVladimir get murdered.”

“What?” Katya rushed toward him. “You saw the slayer, and you never said anything?”

“They shot me with silver bullets. I was in so much pain, I didn’t know what was happening. And then the girl, she came up from behind. We never saw her coming.”

“Thegirl ? They? Are you saying there are two of them?”

“Yes. A male and a female, working together. He shot me full of holes whileVladimir was feeding. Then she snuck up behind Vlad and staked him in the back.”

Katya grabbed Alek by the shirt and pulled him forward. “You fool. Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“I—I had to get the bullets dug out. The silver was killing me. I had to go to an emergency clinic and take over the nurses’ and doctors’ minds. It took the rest of the night.”

Katya gritted her teeth and pushed him away. “You could have told me the next night.”

He hung his head. “I was ashamed.Vladimir had been a close friend. I should have saved him somehow.”

Katya sighed. “So you’re certain there are two slayers? A man and a woman?”

Alek nodded, still avoiding her gaze.

She smoothed down his shirt where her grasp had wrinkled it. “You failed to saveVladimir , but you can save me and Galina.”

“I will.” He gave her a beseeching look. “I’d do anything for you, Katya. I swear.”

She’d always suspected his willingness to help was based on more than loyalty. She patted his cheek. “Help me catch the slayers, Alek, and I’ll do anything for you.”

His eyes glimmered as he looked her over. “They’re as good as dead.” He rushed out the door, nearly running over Galina.

“Where’s he going in such a big hurry?” Galina asked.

“We’re rushed for time. Don’t you own some sort of fortress in theUkraine ?”

“It’s more like an old manor house. Why do you ask?”

“You’re leaving tonight. We need a prison cell, completely lined with silver. I’ll give you the money.”

Galina raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows. “We’re going to hold a vampire prisoner?”

“More than one. The slayer, or perhaps two slayers. And Angus MacKay.”

Galina’s mouth dropped open. “The general of the Vamp army?”

“Yes.” And the bastard who had abandoned her years ago. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s one of the slayers.” And he was working with a woman? That made Katya’s blood boil. She hadn’t been good enough for him, but this bitch was? “Casimir wants them. Either they die, or we do.”

Galina winced. “Well, that’s a no-brainer.”

Katya nodded. The night was full of surprises. She hadn’t realized Galina had a brain.

Emma checked the time on her cell phone. Shit. An hour and twenty minutes had passed since she’d leftCentral Park . After Angus MacKay’s remark about visiting her at home, she’d realized she was in dire need of more ammunition. She’d taken a cab to the federal office building in Midtown, then rushed to the Stake-Out team’s office on the sixth floor. There she’d helped herself to several items from the armory—a pair of silver handcuffs, some silver chains, silver bullets for her Glock, and a crate full of stakes since she had only a handful left in her apartment.

Unfortunately, the security guards on the first floor hadn’t liked her waltzing off with so much equipment and no requisition forms. She’d been forced to spend fifteen minutes filling out bloody paperwork. And then she’d had trouble finding another cab. They didn’t hang around office buildings on a Saturday night.

Now she was almost home with her stash of goodies. She glanced at the meter on the taxi dashboard and pulled out some bills to pay the driver. She could only hope Angus MacKay hadn’t beaten her to the apartment.

The driver pulled to a stop in front of her building inSoHo . The street was dark, except for little circles of light surrounding the street lamps. A few people were out, walking dogs or chatting happily with neighbors. She paid the driver and climbed from the backseat. The silver stuff had all been stuffed into a grocery sack. She set the sack on the roof of the taxi, then reached in for the crate of stakes.

As she straightened, something prickled the back of her neck and caused her to hunch her shoulders. She was being watched. Even with her psychic powers relaxed, she could feel a presence.

She glanced at the third floor of her apartment building. All the windows were covered with closed blinds. Her apartment was the third window from the left. Was that a gap between two slats? She narrowed her eyes.

The blinds flipped open. She gasped.

Angus was there!

“Hey, lady!” the cabbie yelled. “You gonna stand there all night? Shut the door.”

Emma tossed the crate back into the cab, grabbed the sack off the roof, and climbed back into the cab. “Drive.”

“What?” The cabbie gave her an annoyed look. “Where to?”

“Just drive. Now!”

He stomped on the accelerator.

Emma twisted to look out the back window. The blinds had been pulled up in her apartment, and the dark silhouette of a man filled her window. She could feel his eyes on her, watching. She could feel his presence, hovering around her.

She faced front. Shit, she hated running away. But there was no way she was going to fight a vampire un-prepared. And it wasn’t like she could ask him to please step out for ten minutes while she set a trap to kill his ass.

His gorgeous ass. The memory of him hanging upside down sneaked into her head.

The taxi reached the end of the street. “Where to, lady?”

“Ah, turn right.” Emma pounded a fist on her knee in frustration. She hated to retreat, even when it was the best choice.Think, think. She needed a place where she could prepare for battle in secret. Then, when she was ready, she’d invite him over.

Of course!Austin ’s apartment. It was close by inGreenwich Village . And it was bigger than her place. A much better place for battling a vampire.

She gave the cabbie the address. She had become good friends with Austin Erickson while he was on the Stake-Out team. After Sean had blacklisted him from any decent work,Austin had taken a construction job inMalaysia . It had to be paying really well, since he’d kept his apartment inManhattan .

Emma had volunteered to keep an eye on it. Thank goodness. It afforded her the perfect place to set her trap. Maybe she would lure Angus into the bedroom. The bed was decorated with cast-iron spindles. It was perfect for the silver handcuffs.

And Angus—surely he would follow her into the bedroom. His attraction to her was no secret. She recalled the feel of his erection pressed against her thigh. The touch of his hand as he caressed her hip. His boast about leaving womenverra satisfied.

She was tempted to see if that was true. He did claim to be a man of his word.

No!He wasn’t a man. With a groan, Emma leaned back against the seat. A part of the battle was within herself.

The devil take it, she was getting away. Angus had been disappointed when Emma didn’t answer the phone. He’d been forced to use her answering machine as a directional beacon.

Since his arrival a few minutes earlier, he’d taken the liberty of examining her tiny apartment. Nothing interesting but a handful of stakes on her coffee table with a permanent marker nearby. He could imagine her watching the telly while she labeled each stake withMum orDad .

He wondered if she was simply going somewhere to wait for sunrise. He’d be forced to leave before dawn. Still, he wanted to talk to her tonight. He needed to convince her once and for all to give up slaying.

He gazed out the window. Her cab had reached the end of the block. He could teleport to the corner in a second, but an elderly woman was standing there with her dog, waiting to cross the street. If he suddenly appeared beside her, she might keel over and die of fright. Or break a hip. Mortals, especially old ones, seemed so fragile. Angus spotted a dark area next to a flight of stairs leading into the corner building. He focused and teleported into the shadowed area. He felt under his sporran to make sure he was intact, then stepped from the shadow.

The cab turned right. The lady hobbled across the street, unaware of his presence. Her dog spotted him, though, and pranced about, yapping. He glared at the little terrier.Silence . With a whimper, the dog sidled up to the old woman.

Angus groaned inwardly. He’d always loved animals as a mortal, so it irked him when they acted terrified of him.Not quite human . Roman’s discovery still nettled him. No wonder animals reacted poorly around him. They could sense what he hadn’t realized all these years.

He watched Emma’s cab driving away in the distance. It slowed to make a left turn. He zoomed after it at vampire speed and continued to follow. Whenever the cab stopped, he remained hidden. If Emma saw him, she’d lead him on a wild-goose chase all overManhattan .

Luckily she didn’t go far. The cab halted in front of an apartment building inGreenwich Village . He waited behind a delivery van while she unloaded a bag and a crate from the backseat onto the sidewalk. More stakes? He’d seen an empty crate like that at her apartment.

She paid the driver, then dug a key ring from her pants pocket. A key? She had a boyfriend. The conclusion slunk into his thoughts like a poisonous snake. He gritted his teeth as she unlocked the entrance door and carried her belongings into the foyer. A damned boyfriend. A mortal lover. Whoever he was, he wasn’t good enough for her. Did he even know what she was doing at night? There was no wayhe could protect her. Angus was the only one for that job.

He clenched his fists, knowing good and well that the snake coiled in his belly had a name.Jealousy. He marched across the street, scowling at the glass door Emma had just entered. It would be locked now, but that wouldn’t keep him out. He’d simply teleport—

Brakes squealed, and a horn blared. He spun to his left just as a taxi screeched to a halt a few inches in front of him. The devil take it! He’d nearly been run over. Not that a few broken bones would kill him, but it would have hurt like hell. The taxi driver yelled a few obscenities at him. Angus nodded in agreement. Hewas a damned fool. He’d let an alleged boyfriend get him so upset, he’d walked right in front of a moving car.

He stepped onto the sidewalk to let the taxi pass. He needed to get a grip. Emma could be staying with a girlfriend. Why would he automatically assume she had a boyfriend? Well, maybe because she was beautiful, clever, courageous, virtuous, and everything else a man could ever want.

He strode to the glass entrance door and peered inside. She’d already taken the elevator, but if he scrunched to the left, he could make out the floor lights above the elevator door. She had stopped on the fourth floor. He glanced around to see if it was safe to teleport inside.

Bugger. The cab that had nearly run him over had stopped in front of the apartment building. Two young blond women stumbled from the backseat, giggling. The taller one handed the driver some money and planted a loud smacking kiss on his cheek. This caused the shorter blonde to burst into more giggles. She waited on the sidewalk, wavering on her shiny silver stilettos that matched her sparkly silver halter top and handbag. Her shorts were pink, and across her rump, written in silver glitter, was the wordJuicy .

Angus shuddered. He couldn’t teleport into the building with these women as witnesses. He pressed into the shadows, hoping they wouldn’t see him.

“Come on, Lindsey,” the juicy blonde whined. “We can’t stop partying now. Let’s go to The Hiccup and Hook Up.”

The taller blonde, Lindsey, tripped onto the sidewalk and wobbled toward them in high wedge-heeled sandals that matched her turquoise purse and T-shirt. Brown letters crossed her chest, saying cute is okay, but rich is better. She planted her fists on the strip of bare skin above her brown mini-skirt. “I am never going back to that club. The guys there are a bunch of losers! I swear all the hot guys have left town.”

“I know, right?” Juicy flipped her long hair over her shoulder. “I think they all left the country.”

“Yeah, I think they all went to like…Pittsburgh ,” Lindsey concluded.

Angus sighed. How long were these ladies going to stand around, talking about nothing? He realized there were hot-pink streaks in Juicy’s hair. Could that cause brain damage? Hard to tell with these two. Maybe he should go ahead and teleport inside. They were so drunk, they’d never notice.

“Ooooh. Look, Tina.” Lindsey careened toward her friend. “There’s a hot guy behind you.”

Tina, the princess formerly known as Juicy, whirled around, lost her balance, and crashed into Lindsey. They both giggled.

Angus groaned inwardly.

“Ooooh, he’s yummy.” Tina wove toward him.

“I saw him first.” Lindsey pushed her friend, and Tina crashed into a potted plant next to the door.

“Ouch.” Tina rubbed the wrong hip while she gave Angus a helpless, injured look.

“Aren’t you the guy we almost ran over?” Lindsey squinted at him. “We stopped so fast, I thought I was gonna hurl.”

“You wish,” Tina muttered. “You only drank like ten thousand calories tonight.”

Lindsey leaned toward Angus, making his eyes water from the fumes on her breath. “I love your skirt. Is it Versace?”

“’Tis called a kilt. I have a tailor inEdinburgh .”

“Oooh, you must be Irish.” Tina lurched toward him. “I just love your accent.”

“Actually, I’m Scottish.” He tried to back up, but was already pressed against the building’s brick wall.

Lindsey ran a long pink fingernail down his arm. “Would you like to come upstairs for some coffee?”

“Yeah, some Irish coffee.” Tina snickered.

“You look a little hot in this sweater.” Lindsay traced a knitted cable with her polished fingernail. “We could help you get more comfortable.”

“It’ll be fun.” Tina pulled a key from her silver spangled purse and unlocked the entrance door.

Angus cleared his throat. “I do need to see someone inside this building, if ye doona mind letting me in.”

“Oh, darling. We’ll let you in.” Lindsey gripped his arm to drag him into the foyer.

Tina punched the elevator button. “I get him first.”

“Do not.” Lindsey released Angus to get in front of Tina’s face. “I saw him first.”

Angus wandered over to the mailboxes while the two blondes argued over him. Luckily, each box was listed by number and the last name of the occupant. He examined the boxes for the fourth floor. One name looked familiar.

“I know!” Tina announced. “Let’s do him together!”

They burst into giggles. The elevator door opened.

“Come on!” Lindsey called. “Irish boy! Let’s go.”

He frowned at them. “Would ye really let a strange man into yer apartment? I could turn out to be some kind of… monster.”

The girls’ eyes widened and they stared at him, then at each other. Then they erupted with laughter.

“Yeah, right.” Tina held the elevator doors open. “I’m so scared, I think I wet my panties.”

“Mine are already wet.” Lindsey slunk toward him, trying to give him a sexy look through her lashes. Unfortunately, her wilted mascara stuck one of her eyes shut, and she ended up twitching and blinking to get her eye open.

“Would ye happen to know this person?” Angus pointed at the mailbox forapartment421 . “The name is Erickson.”

Lindsey wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, I know him.” She turned to Tina. “Remember the guy in 421? He was like… so rude.”

“I know, right?” Tina leaned against the elevator door. “I asked him to help me open a jar of pickles, and he said I was already pickled.”

“I haven’t seen him in months,” Lindsey said. “But he was really cute. I swear all the hot ones have left town.”

“Is his nameAustin ?” Angus asked.

“You’re looking forAustin ?” Lindsey’s mouth fell open. “Oh my God, you’re gay.”

Angus stiffened. “Nay, I—”

“Shit! We should have known.” Tina pointed at him. “I mean, look, he’s wearing a purse.”

“’Tis no’ a purse.” Angus gritted his teeth. “’Tis called a sporran, and ’tis a fine, manly tradition—”

“Whatever.” Lindsey waved a hand in dismissal. “Why were you trying to pick us up when you’re gay?”

“Yeah.” Tina sneered at him. “You’re just a poser.”

“Yeah, he’s a poser.” Lindsey marched toward the elevator. “I bet he’s not even Irish.”

Angus heaved a sigh of relief when the elevator doors swooshed shut. Thank God he drank out of bottles and no longer had to deal with the modern, mortal world in order to survive. Courting women like Lindsey and Tina could drive a vampire to leap into the sunlight. Thank God Emma was different. She was special, clever, and lovely. And most probably, staying in Austin Erickson’s apartment.

The elevator stopped at the fourth floor. Bugger. Lindsey and Tina would be floundering around that hallway for five minutes. He’d have to wait. Or maybe he should just go home. If Emma realized he knew where she was, she’d leave again. No, it was better to leave her alone. He’d teleport back to Roman’s townhouse and send her an e-mail, asking to see her tomorrow night. He closed his eyes, thinking of her shiny, dark hair and amber eyes, the graceful curve of her cheek and neck.Good night, Emma. Sleep well .